Laterally and longitudinally adjustable shoe tree



April 14, 1953 w. J. FlTzPATRlcK LATERALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY ADJUSTABLE SHOE TREE Filed Aug. 29, 1950 Patented Apr. 14, 1953 LATERALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY ADJUSTABLE SHOE TREE William J. Fitzpatrick, Weymouth, Mass., assgnor to George E. Belcher Company, Stoughton, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Appucation August 29, 195o, serial No. 181,970

a claims. (o1. iz-izas) My present invention relates to shoe trees and particularly to that type of shoe tree having a pair of forepart sections adapted to be forced apart or drawn towards each other by actuating the means interconnecting those sections and the back part.

Shoe trees of this type, while having certain inherent advantages, have been objectionable in that their fore part sections were so inadequately connected to each other and to the adjusting means to be satisfactory whenbeing handled because the connections, while mechanically effective, gave the shoe trees a sloppy action unless restrained as when inserted into shoes. Attempts to eliminate this condition by rendering the fore parts the appearance and feel of a stable unit have not been satisfactory in that the adaptability of the fore part sections to fit a shoe properly was markedly lessened by so doing.

In accordance with my invention, I provide shoe trees of the type referred to that retain the desirable characteristics and minimize objectionable looseness between the interconnected parts. I accomplish this result by limiting vertical looseness, lateral looseness, or both, between the fore part sections and the plate of the means connecting them to the back part to the extent necessary to ensure the proper fit of the fore part sections when the shoe tree is extended in a shoe with the result that the fore part becomes a stable unit.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown an illustrative embodiment of my invention from which those and other of its novel features and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side View of a shoe tree in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a partly sectioned plan view of the shoe tree shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section along the lines 3--3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a plan View of my shoe tree collapsed for convenience in shipment or storage,

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of plate employed to connect the adjusting means to the fore part sections, and

Fig. 6 is a side view of the plate shown in Fig. 5.

In the embodiments of my invention shown in the drawings, I have indicated at IIJ and II the inner and outer fore part sections. Each of the fore part sections has in its face I2 a slot I3 extending rearwardly through its rear face I4. The slots I3 are transversely alined to slidably receive the plate I5.

The plate I5 has a pair of upwardly disposed, spaced ears I6 which receive the pivot I'I by which an arm I8 is attached thereto. A back part, such as that indicated at I9, carries an arm 20 pivotally connected to the sides of the carrier 2I adjacent the front end thereof. The carrier 2| receives the threaded end 22 of the arm I8 and is slotted as at 23 to accommodate the nut 24 threaded on the arm end 22. The pivotally connected arms I8 and 20 thus establish an adjustable toggle interconnecting the plate I5 and the back part I9 and in order that said toggle may be easily actuated, I have shown the carrier 2I as having a shoulder 25.

I form the plate I5 with longitudinally spaced pairs of slots 26 and 21 with the slots of each pair being disposed forwardly and inwardly towards each other and through each plate slot extends a pin 28 anchored to a fore part section. As may best be seen in Fig. 2, the width of the slots 26 is substantially equal to the diameter of the pins 28 while the slots 2l are appreciably wider than the slots 26.

When the plate I5 is advanced or retracted relative to the fore part sections as by the toggle, the pin and slot connection between the plate and fore part sections is effective to cause the sections I0 and II to be forced apart or drawn towards each other. To effect that result, I rely on the slots 26 and utilize the slots 2l for the purpose of interconnecting the fore part sections adjacent the front end of the plate I5 sufciently freely to enable those parts to swing relative to each other to ensure their proper disposition in the fore part of a shoe without objectionable looseness. Normally the pins 28 entrant of the slots 2l are not in contact with their edges and in Fig. 2, I have shown the front ends of the forepart sections I0 and I I as swung inwardly towards each other. In accordance with my invention, I am thus able to provide that degree of looseness that ensures the correct functions of my shoe trees in use without looseness that is objectionable When they are being handled.

I have also shown the fore part section I0 as carrying a pin 29 freely entrant of a bore 30 in the fore part section II. It will also be noted that the rear portions of the slots I3 are enlarged as at 3| to accommodate the ears I6.

Another cause of looseness in shoe trees of the divided fore part type is that, in production, the slots I3 are unavoidably of substantial width. While the plates I5 may be made sufficiently thick to t the slots I3 properly, they are then relatively expensive. For that reason, I prefer to employ the plates 32 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 which may be formed from relatively thin and inexpensive stock and rendered satisfactory by means of crimps 33 dimensioned to ensure the proper fit of the plates 32 in the slots I3.

When the nature of the means connecting the plates tothe back parts I9 permits collapsing, as in the case of the illustrated toggle, the slots 26 and 21 are additionally disposed and dimensioned to enable the fore pari; sections I and H to be spaced apart to receive between them the collapsed toggle as shown in Fig. 4. This has the advantage that my shoe trees may be compactly disposed for shipment or storage.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe tree comprising inner and outer fore part sections, each of said sections having a slot in its face that is disposed towards the other section, said slot extending rearwardly through the rear face of its section and being transversely alined with the slot of the other section, a shoe tree back part, and adjustable means connecting said back part to said fore part sections, said adjusting means including a plate slidably entrant of said slots, said plate having rst and second pairs of slots located adjacent its front and rear ends, respectively, with the slots of each pair being inclined forwardly and inwardly towards each other, and a. pin entrant of each plate slot and anchored in a fore part section to interconnect said sections, the diameter of the pins entrant of said second pair of slots being substantially equal to the width thereof so that when said plate is advanced or withdrawn relative to said sections, said sections are forced apart or towards each other, and the diameter of the pins entrant of said rst pair of slots being less than the width thereof and being spaced outl of contact with the edges thereof to enable said fore part sections to pivot about said first named pins to an extent only sufficient to ensure the proper disposition of said sections within a shoe when said means are actuated.

2. A shoe tree comprising inner and outer fore part sections, each of said sections having a slot in its face that is disposed towards the other section, said slot extending rearwardly through the rear face of its section and being transversely alined with the slot of the other section, a shoe tree back part, and adjustable toggle means connecting said back part to said fore part sections, said toggle means including a plate slidably entrant of said slots, said plate being of stock, the thickness of which is less than the width of said slots but which has a plurality of transverse crimps dimensioned to ensure its snug, sliding t therein, said plate having a pair of slots which are inclined forwardly and inwardly towards each other and which intersect one of said crimps, and a pin entrant of each plate slot and anchored in a fore part section to interconnect said sections so that when said plate is advanced or Withdrawn relative to said sections, said sections are forced apart or towards each other.

3. A shoe tree comprising inner and outer fore part sections, each of said sections having a slot in its face that is disposed towards the other section, said slot extending rearwardly through the rear face of its section and being transversely alined with the slot of the other section, a shoe tree back part, and adjustable toggle means connecting said back part to said fore part sections, said toggle means including a plate slidably entrant of said slots and having crimps to bring its maximum thickness substantiallyA to the width of said slots, said plate having iirst and second pairs of slots located adjacent its front and rear ends, respectively, with the slots of each pair being inclined forwardly and inwardly towards each other, and a pin entrant of each plate slot and anchored in a fore part section, the second pair of slots and the pins ,entrant thereof constituting means for forcing said sections apart or drawing them towards each other as said plate is advanced or withdrawn relative to said sections and the first pair of slots being appreciably wider than their pins and constituting means for enabling the sections to swing relative to each other without excessive looseness.

WILLIAM J. FITZPATRICK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,114,349 Hansen Oct. 20, 1914 1,439,488 Selden Dec. 19, 1922 2,362,237 Bernstein Nov. 7, 1944 

